RING O'ROSES

Never have young children had a better introduction to Mother Goose than this profusely illustrated collection of 21 rhymes, at last available again—see comments above. They are in a new order, but they're all here, and there's now an index. A few plates (perhaps those for which the original art has been lost) seem fuzzy, but most reveal Brooke's marvelous draftsmanship and the subtleties of his painting with new clarity—though some of the colors here revealed will startle his old friends. A book that should be in every child's own library. British critic Neil Philip contributes the same ``Afterword'' to both books. (Folklore/Picture book. 1-8)